


All is Well When You Carry the Tender

by favorite



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, t4t
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23043808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/favorite/pseuds/favorite
Summary: The extinguish of fury can leave a void.The stars don't look as bright to Lio, anymore.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	1. いいよ

Lio…

Lio…

Liiiooo…

The words were stirring Lio from his sleep. They gently unburied him from his dreams, pulling him closer to the surface… but it wasn’t the unpleasant kind of awakening; the buzz of an alarm, the drudge of morning to spitefully scrape the sleep away. No, this was tender, careful…

A familiar warmth to surface to.

Lio opens his eyes and the world comes into focus in that blurry, well-rested way. He remembers it’s his day off. But, not only his—

“Good morning!” It’s Galo, near the side of the bed, leaning over him and holding a plate. “I made you some food. I don’t want it to get cold, and you’ve been asleep for like twelve hours, so I thought I’d wake you up. Sorry, is that okay?”

Lio smiles, turning over in bed to face Galo, “… It’s fine. I think I’ve slept enough—that’s so sweet of you. You didn’t have to make me food.”

“Well, I’m your boyfriend now, right? That’s a very boyfriend thing to do,” Galo replies with playful indignity, holding the plate of food out. Scrambled eggs tossed with hash browns and shallots.

“You spoil me.” Lio moves to push himself up in bed, but that’s when he remembers…

the problem.

Ever since Lio’s body had been broken and restored from his time in the warp engine, his right arm had never truly been the same. Sometimes it’s responsive and normal, but other times it’s weak, and won’t quite—

But he doesn’t want Galo to know that.

He doesn’t want Galo to worry.

Galo saved his life that day.

He doesn’t want Galo to know.

So, when his arm fails to aid him in getting up, Lio turns his body instead, relying heavy on his left to sit upright and pulling his right arm into his lap subtly. Nothing is wrong.

“Here.” Galo gently puts the plate in Lio’s lap and gives him a little fork and a napkin. “Do you want to watch TV?”

A flat screen hangs on the wall in front of the bed.

It’s been a few months. Recovery from the burning of the world is not over in the least—it probably won’t be over for years. Galo has lived at Burning Rescue’s headquarters since his initiation into the organization, but over these last months, his primary dwelling has shifted from his corridor there to a blurry mixture of Lio’s apartment half of the time as well.

Lio laughs at the domesticity of the situation. Breakfast in bed and…

He looks at Galo and studies him briefly. They are both so busy, but Galo is so full of energy that he’s always awake first, and even cooking. Lio could never match him in this way.

“Sure. Let’s watch TV...”

“OH! That new cooking show I love just got a new season! Super Extreme Warrior Cake-Off! It’s the one where they have to bake cakes… while going through an OBSTACLE COURSE!” Galo is brimming with excitement! He throws himself over Lio (clearing him impressively) to land on the other side of the bed (his own side). However, when he lands, he lands heavy on the dense foam.

“Ahhhh, Lioooo….” Galo complains, “Why’s your mattress so hard?”

“… Does it bother you?” Lio asks. He finds the mattress very comfortable. Soft mattresses make him anxious.

If he’s being honest.

“No no. It’s just not very good to land on.” Galo turns on the TV and navigates to the baking… war.

Lio looks down at the food Galo made for him. It looks back at him. Things are fine—really. Everything is fine and everything is better than it’s ever been, in _a lot of ways._

The TV blares.

_In a lot of ways._

The bakers take position and prepare to run for the oven.

_In so many ways._

But there’s some things… that as he looks at Galo, transfixed in the program, he finds himself worrying about. Just a little.

Lio’s right hand won’t hold the fork.

He passes it to his left.


	2. Lio Fotia

Lio’s plate sits finished on the nightstand, when the episode of Super Extreme Warrior Cake-Off is winding to a close. Galo lies on his back with his head at the foot of the bed, and he’s glued to the screen. The winner is announced, covered in flower and eggs, triumphantly holding a disaster of a cake. But, Lio’s place in the bed is empty.

He’s gone to shower, and get ready.

He stands under the water, it rolls rapid down his back, and he stares at the drain. _What were they going to do today, anyway?_

Rebuilding the planet after its destruction left Lio (gratefully) without much time to think about anything else day-to-day, and it was the damned days off—days like this—when he had time to think. Too much time.

Frustratingly, whenever he found himself met with warmth, comfort or quiet, he could now feel something welling inside of him. Or rather, it was the opposite of something. It was _nothing._

_Lio Fotia_ had no more anger.

His anger had been like a furnace, that heated him from the inside, blasted out through his hands and body, burned and consumed, forcing everything around him to release energy… including himself. It was delicious, quenching power and ruin. He didn’t want to admit to anyone that to be a force of destruction and fight at epic proportions was one of the most intense and gratifying experiences of his life.

And now,

the fire was gone,

the rage was gone,

and this is the way he would be,

forever.

The weight of the water on Lio’s back was enough to seemingly push his new, weak body over. He felt as if he had lost all of his structure. That anger and fire made up all of his power—a power he had known since birth. Without it, he was frail—without it, _Lio Fotia_ was gone.

He hated to wrestle with this feeling. Being busy and tired staved it away, like some beast that would gnaw at him if he were too close. In a way, Galo was a godsend—Galo had more energy to work than Lio could ever realistically match, and the challenge to try to keep up with him was enough to suspend Lio inside a forgetful coma of exhaustion.

But…

Today… was his day off. Moreover, _their_ day off. Galo took the day off with him. Galo wanted a day that they could be together. ‘And maybe…’ Galo had said, ‘just talk.’

This was the last thing that Lio wanted to do.

Especially because typically, full-of-energy Galo takes him out for more activities than he can socially bear in one sitting. Traveling to four places in the same day—concerts, movies, and returning home absolutely fried. Galo has _never_ made plans so…

simple.

Lio is terrified.

But he doesn’t want Galo to know that.

Lio turns off the water.

Everything is fine.

Lio emerges from the bathroom in a towel, and Galo’s attention finally turns to him. A hint of blush is creeping onto Galo’s face. It makes Lio smile to notice.

“Hey, so, I thought that today you might like to… today…” Galo begins, bouncing up to stand. “You know, usually we just do so much, and we’ve never really done something quiet, but you know? I got to thinking, you seem more quiet, so maybe we should do something quiet, if you want, for you, because you should get to do things too—and I’m your boyfriend, so I want to do things you like. … Is that ok?”

Lio just stares at Galo. “… Yeah… Okay. Sure, I’d like that.”

“Did… you have any specific things in mind, or…?” Lio asks, as he rummages through his clothing drawer. His shirts are sorted by color, but not really.

Also there’s a lot of black.

Actually, it’s mostly black.

Lio picks out an outfit. It’s summer, and he opts for something ripped. And black. Galo always calls it ‘mall goth.’ Lio doesn’t really care what that means.

“Well, there’s this new boba shop that opened down the street. Maybe we could get some. And then… just… go to the park?” Galo proposes.

Lio holds his stack of clothes. “That sounds nice,” he responds. Galo could never tell that he was worried.

It doesn’t show.

“I’ll be ready in a minute.” Lio closes himself back in the bathroom to finish dressing. His right arm begins to cooperate with his movements again, which makes it much easier to dry his hair.

What kind of boba will Galo order?

He’ll keep busy with that thought.


End file.
